Small pharmacies adjust to vaccine availability

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — If you’re having trouble getting a vaccine appointment, smaller pharmacies might be the place to go.

Mike Frazier — owner and pharmacist at Your Corner Drugstore — says he’s been waiting months for shipments of Covid vaccines. Last week a shipment of Moderna vaccines finally arrived. Now he struggles to fill appointments.

“We’re kind of sitting out here on the fringes. We’re just waiting to hop in and help wherever we could,” Frazier said. “And now that we can I’m having a hard time getting people in.”

They had an online scheduling system but they had to take it down since they couldn’t get a full day scheduled that way. Now people can call the store if they want to schedule an appointment. Frazier says they have openings for appointments Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. His concern is not wasting doses.

“You may be able to get maybe 11 or possibly even 12 doses out of a vile,” Frazier explains. “So we’d like to have at least 10 people at a time over a 4 hour period or so to be able to come in.”

Ankit Patel is the owner and pharmacist of Robins Pharmacy in Warner Robins. He says they’ve been vaccinating since January. They don’t have the technology of the bigger pharmacies but they’ve found a way to make scheduling work through Facebook. Patel says they vaccinated 100 people for the first clinic they hosted.

“We’re just able to push the boundaries a little bit more because I know some of the other pharmacies that do vaccines every 15 or 20 minutes,” Patel said. “We’re able to do it every 3 to 4 minutes so we can do as many as we can.”

Patel says they faced difficulties when they first started administering the vaccine because they’re tucked away from the main road. Luckily they haven’t wasted any doses at all. They will even travel to homebound people after hours if needed. He says they’re grateful to be able to administer vaccines.

“We’re trying to end Covid, we’re trying to get these vaccines out as quickly as we can,” Patel said. “And I mean I feel honored to be apart of it.

How to schedule a vaccine appointment at a small pharmacy

• Your Corner Drugstore — 4260 Log Cabin Drive in Macon
  • You can also call 478-254-8484 to schedule an appointment
• Robins Pharmacy — 150 S Houston Lake Road #300 in Warner Robins
  • Visit their Facebook page for more information
  • You can also call 478-333-6767